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The Mattress Industry is One Big Scam

The last time I bought a mattress for myself was about 11 years ago. I bought a fairly new full-sized one off a coworker. Four moves and a decade later, we’ve decided it’s time to replace it with an adult (and sometimes an extra toddler)-sized bed.

Shopping Blind

When we started looking, I was shocked at the prices. $3000 for a mattress? What the heck are these things made of? Knowing very little, we went shopping for a mattress and other things on a Saturday morning. The first place, we stopped, Sleepy’s, seemed nice enough. We laid on a few and honed in on the one that we both felt most comfortable in. Meanwhile, Audrey discovered the fun of letting herself fall backwards onto mattresses and did it all over the store. She was giggling and the whole store couldn’t help but look and smile at her. Unfortunately, we soon stopped smiling.

When we found something we liked, the seemingly helpful salesman started to get more aggressive. He asked how much we were looking at paying and I made up a number on the spot, something way below the listed price on the bed. The said he would “talk with his manager” and see if he could get us that price. Then he started asking us if we could commit and have it delivered tomorrow. Anne had walked outside to give Audrey a break by that point, so I said I had to go out and talk with her about it. We talked about it for a bit, then decided we didn’t like the high-pressure sales pitch, so we got ready to leave.

I had the car started up when the salesman came out and approached the car window. He then said that he had “talked to his manager” and he could give us the price we wanted AND a free “platinum package”. I said we would talk about it and let him know. We again decided this was sketchy, but to make good on my promise, I went in and gave him my phone number and left.

Later that day we went to Jordan’s Furniture, generally known to be a reputable place with reasonable places. The salespeople there were nice and NOT high-pressure. Prices were generally lower, but strangely, we couldn’t find the mattress we found at Sleepy’s. They had Sertas, but not the one we liked.

Being indecisive, we left with a couple new names of ones we liked. Later, we went to Mattress Discounters. The woman there was not pushy and told us about the BBB complaints that Sleepy’s (a 700-store chain) had gotten. We decided to think some more and head home.

At home, I did some research online and I found something strange – I couldn’t find much of anything on the mattresses we saw that we liked. I found some mattresses, many of the same brand, but not the same models.

One Big Scam

I later came to find out that this was completely intentional. The mattress industry is one big scam. There is no way to make an objective decision on a mattress using actual facts.

Here’s a few things that the mattress industry does to get you:

1. They mark up their prices 100% to 200%!! No wonder the first guy was able to get his “manager” to give me such a steep discount. They were probably still going to make hundreds of dollars of profits on it.

2. They give the same mattresses different names in different stores or they set up exclusivity agreements by mattress line in certain stores. This makes it impossible to comparison shop because…

3. They make it really had to get actual facts about the mattresses. Stuff like coil counts, materials, overall construction are shrouded in secrecy. But that doesn’t really matter because…

4. There’s no objective measure of mattress quality. Consumer Reports won’t rate them because they can’t get the data and there’s no testing that actually says higher coil counts are better or the number of wires in the coils makes a difference in any way. You’re left to deciding how much you believe the marketing. Is a pillow top made of alpaca hair any better than one made of cotton? Your guess is as good as mine.

5. There’s very little online reviews of mattresses, probably because the model names are so fractured. The ones I did find looked more like content-free sites designed to attract referral credits.

Cracking the Code

With some more research, I found out that it was somewhat possible to compare mattresses models from different places. It turns out that they really only make one hardness variation in each line. So you can assume that a Plush Firm mattress in the “Classic” line, is the same as another Plush Firm in the Classic line, even if they have different names.

US-mattress.com was very helpful in figuring this out. We were able to understand which mattresses we saw and how they related to each other. For example, the mattress we liked at Jordan’s was a product line better than the one we saw at Mattress Discounters, even though they came out to the same price! Clearly Jordan’s had the better deal, but US-Mattress had an even better deal.

So I did something I never thought I could do, buy a mattress over the internet. I’m pretty sure it’s the same one we saw in the store and the free delivery and frame were a good deal. I’m sure that even if I’m getting it at half the price I saw it listed at elsewhere, they’re still making a decent profit on it.

Anne and I agree that buying a mattress is worse than buying a car. While both have sketchy salespeople, when you buy a car, you can compare them on MPG, size, features, etc. Multiple dealers have the same models so you can compare prices and make an informed decision based on their invoice prices. There’s none of that when buying a mattress.

Our mattress should arrive in a few weeks. Hopefully we’ll just find it comfortable enough to have to avoid going through buying a mattress again for at least another 11 years.

UPDATE: The mattress arrived quickly and in good condition. We’ve been sleeping on it for several nights and while it feels comfy, I’ve had some upper back soreness which seems to be related to the new mattress. I’m going to keep trying it for a few more weeks and see if my body adjusts as the US-mattress.com website suggests. Hopefully it will go away. Otherwise, we’ll have to find another one and do a $100 exchange I guess.

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The misconception consumers have is that there is one “best” mattress or a mattress that is the “top of the line.” The true best mattress for you is one that is custom tailored to you and your partners shape and weight. This information is not something that can be passed over the internet. There are some honest companies who believe in “Open Architecture” mattress systems in which the covers are zippered and you have the ability to see each layer of the mattress. This ensures that you are not being sold “mystery meat” trademarked technologies that you have no ability to research. Also note that in terms of long term support your mattress will only be as strong as its weakest link, meaning anytime you introduce a synthetic foam, mattress cover, or inferior coil system, (ie: coils tied together,) your mattress will likely break down much sooner than a mattress made of more natural materials like, 100% cotton, 100% wool, 100% natural latex – (don’t buy into organic latex as there is no such thing, all latex has synthetic materials, soaps and sulfurs, honest companies will be forthright with this info and not claim organic. Be wary of blended latex however (SBR latex), biggest tell-tale sign is they are a lot lower price.

Beyond the mattress it is also important to have a friend or partner with you to check your spinal alignment for neutrality. The ability to unload the spine on your side/back will give you much better quality sleep. Comfort is subjective, proper support is not, and the best long term option will be finding the right balance between the two.

2 big red flags –

1. never buy a mattress because of the warranty, even the best long lasting bed will truly only last around 8-12 years before a notice in change of firmness. No bed will last you 40 years and still be supportive. It may last 40 years with a big sag in the middle though. 🙂

2. Ask about allowance for sag in the warranty as a direct indication of what they really think about their mattresses. IE: “This is the best bed ever and will last you 40+ years but just so you know in the first 2 years if you see an 1.5″ sag, or body impression in the mattress that is totally normal.”
If there is any allowance for sag in the bed over a 10 year period I highly advise staying away from the bed regardless of the price as if will likely only work for a very short period.

Best buy a bed with 100 day trial offer with complete refund if not satisfied. That’s what we did.

Also, although you probably can’t buy from them as they are based in UK, this site has masses of invaluable generic mattress construction info that will gear you up with info and tips before you even start venturing into the showrooms. No matter what you end up buying, the info here will put you steps ahead in your hunt. http://www.factory-beds-direct.co.uk/understanding-beds

I bought a Simmons Natural Care Latex Cypress Pillow Top in 2008 and was told it had a 25 year warranty. Hubby and I are currently shopping for a new mattress as this one has dips on his and my side of the bed, where we sleep and a lump in the middle, where neither of us sleeps! We paid over $3000 for this mattress and feel like we were ripped off. Plus when I went to do some research on Simmons Latex mattresses, they don’t make this line anymore. Maybe because they wear out quicker than we were told??? We used to have a Tempurpedic and that lasted 15 years. We are thinking of going back to those again.

The same thing happened to us at mattress firm, we bought a top of the line mattress 5 years and it’s sagging on each side and a lump in the middle. The cover on the mattress is taut, but the filling sunk in. I would never buy again from this company, and believe me, we’re passing the word around.

I bought one from sleepys. Its 2 years old and we have turned it 4 ways already to get some sleep. My back is killing me from that mattress. I use to They were good mattresses. Wish I still had them. But people make them and they get paid by production. I have seen many with things left out and corners cut on a mattress. I paid $2,000 and its a piece of crap. We tried 2 before getting this one same place. They all sagged. We were led to believe we could not get our money that we had to do an exchange. 24 months old and its got big ole sags on 4 sides.

This is a depressing thread to say the least, I too am a victim of the sears grand canyon special mattress with a sag that is about 4 inches after 2 years…………………I had a simmons beaty rest set made in 1974 until 1994 and it was still comfortable with no sag and no springs sticking through when the top fabric actually began to wear out………darn I miss it………I’m a side sleeper and right now you can not find a soft spring mattress anywhere……….softness comes from quality springs correctly rated and made from quality spring steel…………….they don’t make quality spring steel in china…………………believe me as I am a mechanic. Toppers and foam toppers should not be necessary. I do have to say that my sister did buy some matresses from Crate and Barrel that cost a fortune but are high quality………..but still modern day too damn stiff………….

The construction of Simmons Beautyrest mattress looks pretty cool. The drawback I felt about Simmons beautyrest is its one-sided feature. The mattress uses high temper spring coils and 3 layers of cooling foam to regulate the temperature on the surface. The body conformity, spinal support and motion transfer are all sticked on to this arrangement. The mattress uses 15.5 gauge steel coils to give a firmer feel. Although the company provides 25 years of warranty, an average life span of a mattress is said to be 8-10 years. A mattress that goes more than that can come up with sinkage and back pain issues. But apart from that, a simmons beautyrest mattress is worth the money you pay for.

Simmons WAS a great company that was bought by a turn’n burn financial engineering company. The new CEO hollowed out the company, making it temporarily more profitable. They also started sourcing from China, but there were some subtleties of making a really good mattress which didn’t cross the ocean. So, now that expertise and production capability is lost, but the replacements were brand-name money for throwaway goods.

IDK if they are rebuilding the company and restoring their quality. Right now I’m sleeping on a Simmons, it feels well constructed (weighs a ton, even in the sub-queen size), but it’s the ultra-firm model, too firm for me. It’s so heavy I don’t want to flip it to check the label! Maybe they’ve gone back to their old, expensive, well made stuff. *Maybe*.

I have been selling mattresses for almost ten years now. Let me try to point some things out.
1. For the most part the names are different from store to store, but the descriptions and mattresses aren’t. A beatyrest silver cushion firm is the same from store to store. The store I work for right now doesn’t name them at all.
2. Although there is a big mark up, not all mattresses are negotiable. Tempurpedic, sealy hybrid, serta Icomfort and beautyrest black and some of the best mattresses out there and are not allowed to be discounted. In fact, if a retailer is willing to drop price, you are typically getting a mattress that wont last more than 5 or 6 years.
3. A pillowtop will fail within 3 years every time. I don’t care what I cost, pillowtops are trash. If buying coil, You should buy the firmest version of your favorite and get comfort from a topper that can be replaced in a year. Otherwise you will be replacing the whole mattress in a couple years.
4. Memory foam is better than coil, but not all foams are the same. Everyone sells a bed in box model these days. News for you, they all suck. They are nothing like tempurpedic or icomfort. They wont last more than a couple years and are 90% poly foam, gross.
5. Here are the names that are worth the money and they are all nationally named so you can shop around:
1. Tempurpedic -your best chance of a mattress lasting considerably longer than 10 years. Also the best nights sleep by far. Just make sure you take your time and find the right one for you. (I own the cloud elite)
2. Beautytest Black by Simmons- 10 to 12 years. The Black series has the most steel and therefore support of any coil mattress.
3. IComfort by Serta- the foam version should last 12 years, the hybrid about 10. These prices are controlled by Serta at a fair rate. This creates a good value when compared to the Black or Tempurpedic. (Also controlled pricing but at a higher cost).

That’s really it. If these prices blow you away, then I would suggest the Beautyrest Silver line. The silver is not controlled, so don’t be fooled into paying full price. $700 is fair for a queen set. Just know that the silver won’t last over 8 years, less the more you weigh. Unfortunately, it is what it is.

The last thing is to make sure you get a waterproof, breathable protector $120 for a queen dritec from a company called bedgear. A dritec wont change the feel of a mattress and will keep the moisture out of the foams. Nothing breaks down foam like moisture.

You’ve said all I need to know about your mattress preferences. We bought a Tempurpedic, slept on it for 30 days, and both of us felt like we’d been in a car accident, we had so many aches and pains. Good for fibromyalgia my a$$!
If you like Tempurpedic, I can’t take any advice from you.

you change your mattress every 10 to 11 years, so for 11 years you wont buy a single mattress, a single shopkeeper if he wont get 5k per mattress why would he manage a shop, its just useless ! you want mattress at manufacturing price thats not possible.

Because of the long duration price has to be little high… its like buying a maruti and bmw you talking about. Than you should call bmw also a scam.

If the mattresses actually lasted 10-11 years, that would be a valid point. However, my wife and I (neither of us overweight) get 2 years max. from name brand, middle-of-the-line mattresses before the pits and hump form. We finally started buying inexpensive twin-XL mattresses, putting them side by side on our king foundations, and stretching the king fitted sheet over them. That way we get new mattresses cheaply every couple of years. With two in the bed, you never really have the luxury of sleeping in the middle any way.

When we bought our first king mattress 25 years ago, we had a solid, “flip-able” mattress that was comfortable and functional for well over ten years. We donated it to a relative that couldn’t afford to buy a king. Ever after, we have only found single-sided (unflip-able) mattresses that simply don’t last. As stated above, matters manufacturers have turned the entire industry into a crappy used car scam. 1.5-2″ of sag is not acceptable wear-in of the mattress. That’s a pit. The multitude of seller-specific models is there only to make comparisons impossible.

Look for a local manufacturer. At least there you can evaluated models across multiple years without intentional obfuscation.

We bought a Sealy posturpedic preferred series 6. Yrs ago. It’s a king pillow top. I love it. I discovered if I turn it every three months 1/4 turn, I get a Cal. King! Have to put the fitted sheets on 1/4 turn too but thus creates even pressure on all surfaces. Thus is not a flippable mattress so only turning it 1/4 instead of all the way around gives you much more even wear and tear. So far no sagging!!

We’ve gone through 4 mattresses in 4 years. We only weigh like 135 and 150. They get indented in 3-6 months. My moms mattresses are 10 years old and no indentations and are great. What has changed in recent years?

Thats ridiculous. I would never spend that much on a mattress anyway. There are so many small quality companies now that offer excellent mattresses for way less than “name brands”. Purple, Ghost Mattress, Brentwood Home etc..

I told the mattress I was buying was “all organic” and it turns out that was not true. The mattress contains synthetic material, the latex contains chemicals, and more.

When I realized the mattress was not ‘all organic’ like I was told, I checked the other dealers and they too didn’t disclose the synthetic material all the while they advertise the mattress as being “all natual”, “organic” and more.

The manufacture has been so horrible to deal with, I made a web site to warn others so they don’t get duped like I did. It is http://www.mymattressreview-berkeley.com It is my hope others can learn from my mistake.

Plus I hate the comfort and durability of the bed. It has a VERY THICK QUILTED top that I HATE. I also noticed the latex is breaking down real fast and its HOT to sleep on, maybe due to all the wool in the exterior cover (?).

Next time I’m getting an all latex mattress with a very THIN, very STRETCHY, top with NO wool.

Hmm. I sort of fell for this “self regulation”. I’m sorry. It’s utter nonsense. Wool is a good insulator – as in woollen jumpers. My wool pillow is the best I’ve had, however, but nothing to do with heat – it keeps its loft whilst remaining soft. My original wool duvet proved far too warm in summer, despite the manufacturer’s claims to the contrary. The answer – I now own three different thicknesses of wool duvet, and a woolen blanket that I use with a sheet when it is very warm. Yes – wool is lovely – but is just like everything else inside a duvet – an insulator. Also, wool duvets are rather “mat like” compared with down – not everyone likes that aspect. They do not flow around you as other fillings do.

It is always good to buy a mattress from a retail store. This helps you to try out the mattress and know the level of comfort and support. But if you go for an online purchase, you can get confused. There are online sellers who sell mattresses of different companies. While there are manufacturers who sell their own product (mattress). One of the drawbacks of online mattress purchase is that you cannot try the product. Online stores, who sell mattresses of different companies, offer limited returns and refunds. But if you buy from Saatva, you get refund within 75 days, less the original delivery fee. Tuft and Needle accepts returns within 30 days of purchase. So personally, I feel that it’s good to buy either from a retail store or from direct manufacturers online.

Buying a mattress is a nightmare. It’s confusing, misleading, high pressure. The return scam is even worse. Restocking fee, plus a charge to pick it up, and some other, unnamed charge. It would be funny if it weren’t so expensive. Coil count. Wire gauge. Cooling foam (really?)
a spring mattress is just springs with layers of soft stuff on top. I don’t care if it costs $300 or $3000, it’s the same animal, just more hype. Good luck.

I have been to 3 mattressfirms in the last few days and everyone I went to said I was there only customer. I was in there for literally 2 hours talking to the salesman and trying out different mattresses and nobody came in….he was straight with me and told me that it’s not unusual to have only 1 customer or 2 customers a day. So if these stores can afford to take a loss for 2, 3 days in a row without selling a mattress and paying to keep the store open and pay the salesman (hourly rate for 10 hours or so) then obviously they are making a huge profit on every mattress that they do end up selling….They are marked up big time…The mattress companies are making out because they make exclusive deals so you can’t price shop and have to purchase that one from that store…

also they give you little add ins that you really don’t care about like pillows etc…I didn’t come in to a mattress store to buy a pillow, I came in to buy a mattress…I don’t want a pillow I want a mattress so I want the mattress for less than the list price….

Then they get you with the 0% apr for 60 months…or whatever you qualify for…I qualified for 3300/36 months….problem is I can’t use the 36 months on a 1200 dollar mattress so they force you to buy a more expensive (and much greater return on investment for them) mattress….Most people would rather pay 2500 if they get in for 36 month finance deal vs 2200 for a 24 month deal…they don’t care about the total price and just care about the monthly payments…that’s how they get you too…

I believe my theory is true on how these mattress companies stay afloat. They open a store with new product. They have people come in and sit on said product, yielding a “floor sample”. They wrap up the ” floor model” as “never owned” and sell out the back door to people who peddle them on Craigslist or at flea markets or out of the back of a truck as “still in package”. The mattress company covered their cost, plus some and the peddler pushes a huge savings. I bought one 11 years ago and I swear that’s where it came from. I even wonder if the mattress companies have their own fleet of people pushing the “still packaged” ones. Every once in a while they make a sale in the showroom and then it’s a bonus.

I like how you say that a 100-200% markup is a “scam” Surprise…. literally EVERY retail good or service has that much mark-up…. Guess what… your burger at applebee’s is prices at $10.99, but do you think there is actually more than $5 in food cost on that plate? NO, but they’ve got to pay for the rent, employees, etc… And the $9 graphicTshirt you buy at walmart, do you think that cost them $5? NO, a simple single color silk screen Tshirt made in Malaysia and shipped over here in a container cost less than $1.50 LANDED at the warehouse door. Of course an internet sale would be cheaper, because they don’t have to pay for a store or a sales person, just a warehouse and driver, but you don’t get the benefit of seeing, touching, testing the product before you buy if it’s from a webpage.

While I am not in favor of governmental intervention in most cases, I hate when these companies do crap like this to confuse consumers. Every single site and store I looked at has different names for Beautyrest mattresses. Beautyrest does not make 300 mattress varities. My girlfriend got one a year ago and I find it extremely comfortable and wanted to buy one for my parents, But cannot find that name anywhere now and it’s confusing. Should be very easy but they purposely do this for short sighted reasons. Where are the consumer agencies?

I totally agree. Just went mattress shopping yesterday. It does seem to be a huge scam. Didn’t seem to be that way 25 to 30 years ago. If you wanted a Beautyrest Luxury, you could find the Beautyrest Luxury at every store you went to. It is very confusing for consumers.
I purchased a $2,600 bed with 60 months financing. Hope it remains as comfortable as it was in the store, LOL. Time will tell. I’m sleeping on a 14 year old bed right now and because I’m a little older than when I bought it, obviously, and have suffered a few industrial accidents, I need a bed that’s a little easier on the hips and shoulders, and not so firm.

You are absolutely wrong!(Unless you go to really high end furniture retailer such as Ethan Allen). For 90% of most retailers are around 90-110%(.48-.52 margins). This is why you can’t trust the Internet for reasons like this. I agree with Tim, most brick and morter retailers need to make these profits to keep the doors open. If you want to be upset with mark up why don’t you complain to apple for the $3 charger you just paid $30 for.

Over the last ten years I bought three different sets of Mattresses and Box springs. The first because we needed to provide a mattress for a new bedroom set. Got it home and it progressively got worse. Putting up with that I bought a top of the line. which seemed to get harder as time went on. I travel in my job and stay at Hilton properties. I always loved their beds, especially at the Doubletrees and Embassy suites. I researched them and found you can order everything the pillows, sheets , mattresses and covers. We did that and never looked back. They brought it to the house, and took away the old ones. This was the best mattress investment I ever made.

Never buy a mattress online u really don’t know what u are getting. If you keep using brick and mortar stores as showrooms for online retailers well
guess what, that store is not gonna be there next time you need (use) them.
At the end of the day a mattress is very personal and different for everyone.
You need to do your homework and go to a store that will back the products they sell.
Major brands and large chain stores sell as many units as possible period. if it works for you consider yourself lucky if it doesn’t well you’ll be dealing with hired complaints personnel who do nothing but find excuses to get the store off the hook.
This is an industry that change and technology actually doesn’t work , the highest end mattresses are made the same way a mattress was made 60years ago.

When you buy a mattress from Sleep Country, they tell you you can try it out for 60 days or 90 days and if you don’t like it you can return it. But you have to keep the waterproof mattress protector on the bed. But say, after 2 years, maybe you don’t want to sleep on vinyl anymore and will remove this protector. The vinyl makes me sweat and I am already a hot sleeper. And what is the point of mentioning all the fine materials used in the mattress, like cashmere, wool, etc. when you end up wrapping it in vinyl? This is what happened to me. After 6 months or so of sleeping on my new Simmons Beautyrest Imperial Plush mattress I removed the vinyl cover and just used a cotton one with usually 2 sheets. I am a hot sleeper and get night sweats so there are a few minor sweat stains on the mattress. Why worry, this mattress isn’t going anywhere and the 3 month return policy is long gone. Then 3 years after having the mattress my husband and I notice it is starting to sag in the middle-starting to feel like we are rolling into the center but the edges have remained hard. This goes on and we’re starting to talk about it – what should we do, etc., thinking I am out $1700 and will just have to go buy a new one. So after 4 years has gone by we have reached the breaking point – that’s it with the mattress – you are literally rolling into the center – and my husband says, why don’t you call Sleep Country and see what they say – can’t hurt. So anyway, you know the routine, many months later an inspector is sent out on a particular day to asses the mattress. he finds indeed that it has sunk at least 1 and a half inches in the center which makes the mattress replaceable under the 10 year warranty ( in theory, mind you). But he notices the slight sweat stains and says that I have to have them removed or when the delivery guys come to pick up the old mattress and deliver the new (1 of the same value that I have picked out), they will not take it – it has to be free of all stains. Now, if this mattress is now 3 to 4 years old and has a defect, WHAT DOES IT MATTER THAT IT HAS A FEW STAINS ON IT??? Are they giving it to someone else? And another thing, you have exactly 7 days from when the inspector shows up to go pick out a new mattress and then contact Sleep Country customer service again to put the whole replacement thing in motion. So you arrange the cleaning, go pick out the new mattress and set this all up. This is basically presenting you with an impossible situation in which to get your new mattress. It is their way of making sure that no one actually gets to really take advantage of the ’10 year warranty’. I asked them on the phone, So why is it that the mattress has to be totally clean if it is defective? Are you giving it to someone else? Some ‘mumbo jumbo’ answer about Health Canada regulations saying the mattress cannot have any stains………..are they giving the mattress to Health Canada employees??? My previous Simmons Perfect Sleeper bowling ball mattress is a flippable and is at least 16 years old and is still in the house in the spare room ( thank God or we’d have nothing to sleep on). I have arranged for the cleaners to come to try to clean my defective dipped mattress, although I am not sure what for – I will post what happens…………………..

I’m dealing with the same situation. It is a scam. If they produce a defective mattress, whether we seat on it or not, the warranty applies.
It’s clear that manufacturers are trying to resell them for an additional profit on their trashy and expensive and unreliable junk.

Good post. I kind of laughed reading it. Your right the mattress industry is a big scam. The big names in mattresses are all marketing. There are a ton of equally high quality, lesser known mattresses out there for far less money. Thanks for informing. – Derek

The mattress industry has become complicated recently and finding a good mattress has become another haystack riddle. funny enough, the same mattress model can be sold for a totally different price tag. I personally do not also believe that a mattress shouldn’t cost anything above 1,000… Even if it comes with a lifetime warranty.

The best thing to do is find a local retail dealer and buy from
them. Go into store and try them out in your price range.
Please stay away from large corp. stores, the turnover will
cause undue problems if you should need service.

I have been in the business for 30 years and “most” of my
customers are happy.

Oh dear folks you all getting a bad deal in UK PRICES are but a 10th a90% discount in fact major stores sell complete beds frame and matress from $150 up and they do last you must be mad sukers to pay more than 400 for top line model

No where in here was Sterns & Foster ever mentioned. I bought a set for $3k (king) . It’s been 18 years with a little sagging on each side, but still comfortable! I was thinking of replacing but after reading all this, I’d never get one with this quality!

I got my mattress at a store called the Dump. I paid less than 2k for a king. It has served me well got the past10 years. My main complaint or question would be, why do the have to make them so deep (16 to 18 in) and without handles on the sides so you can rotate the mattress, since you can’t flip them any longer you need to rotate at least every 6 months. Also due to the size and weight they are heavy to lift to put on the contour sheet. It’s really had for us older people to lift.

The mattress industry is indeed a scam and major retailers like Art Van are part of the problem.
We purchased a top of the line, expensive pillow top mattress with a 15 yr warranty. We rolled all over it, bought the suggested mattress cover (also a fortune) and have been happy until recently. Both sides have collapsed a pushed out causing a rolled edge: clearly a failure and manufacturers defect.

Today, the Art Van warranty inspector confirmed the defect, but refused to replace it because of stains on the mattress. There are three light stains from body lotion that weren’t blocked from their mattress cover.

After two years no mattress should collapse. Further, for Art Van to hide behind the manufacturer refusing a defective product because they can’t resell it to some unsuspecting buyer is absurd and rises to the level of consumer abuse and fraud.
If they had ever disclosed that guideline, I’d have walked out.

Art Van is a major provider here and was recently sold. These shady practices will hurt their reputation.

I will not stop. I am a Consumer Advocate and will continue to escalate this until they recognize, admit and remedy this situation.

you wont believe this, I have tried the expensive mattresses, and I found out I sleep much better on the cheap one, for example I now use 2 twins to make a king, each one cost only $50, I have no sleeping issues whats so ever.

Very difficult to find a decent mattress and when trying to, getting proper verifiable, honest information from a credible individual making the sale.

Breaking the code you wrote of is essential or you may s well save the money and just stay with what you have and save the money.

Since I purchased a queen sized Beauty Rest 35 years ago and needing a new mattress 20 years later, as the warranty and sales person told me was how long the U.S. made item would last, I have had 3, that’s right, THREE, new mattresses. Each manufacturer, according to the new fire regulations as spelled out by the USMMOAA (just made that acronym up and it stands for – United States Matress Manufactures of Americas Association), has been making a one sided mattress and making them poorly. Having had three new mattresses over the 15 year period I think I have a reasonably decent perspective of the manner these are made, sold, the sales people’s ploy, peripheral products, pricing as well as trying to get satisfaction after the sale as a result of the product faling. Which they are not interested in as a result of having a market all to themselves (at the time what ever number of mattress manufacturers were out there nationally right after Tepurpedic hit the market big time in the later 1990’s) speaking of which the Tempurpedic people were the first disappointment as they did not welcome my phone call. There were 2 more after that previously named brand that also were eager to unload their matteresses but failed to back them up how they should for the cost people pay, but since this is not supposed to be a rant I would like to move on.

One of the biggest issues that I had with all the mattresses I looked at at the time was that they were just made to the single side and no longer could be flipped over. This single fact in all the mattresses I saw cut the life of these down by a minimum of 50%, May be more. A real tragedy to my way of thinking as well as to my financial well being as I have purchased 3 mattresses since 2000. Each one declining in price, as well as time able to use it (it being the mattress – based on my ability to sleep without a back issue).

I could write about this for a while, but will spare you only to say that they are now legally able to produce a double sided, for sleeping on, mattress.

If purchasing a new mattress make sure that you get the mattress you want with both sides that could be used for sleeping. Also make sure that there isn’t a two time return policy with returns for defects as well. I have found this a phenomenon with only one retailer, but found it disturbing nevertheless.

What ever it is you do to get your mattress just make sure that you do your homework or you will feel as if you’ve been robbed 5 to 7 years down the line.

Wow! Just wow! I am reading through all of these comments, you all are bashing each and every single mattress and company out there, mattresses are no longer just springs and foam any more, if half of you would literally look into it there’s a reason they are so darn expensive any more, being in the tech industry for 10 years, I asked multiple places such as Sleepys and Mattress firm and hand full of others and they literally didn’t beat around the bush, they were up front with me about why and how they have become so expensive.

1st Support – meaning they have used multiple test with multiple people that fall into each category for sleep needs. Meaning people who need firm support generally need a better support mattress ( which falls into the coils/springs that are used in the bed, the higher the density the more the cost of the mattress) the lower the density the lower the cost, cushion support on top of the springs/coils, the more materials on top ( hense better support and feel ) more or less depending what cushion on top your prefer in the 3 main categories aka: Pillow Top,Plush,and Firm.

2nd Technology – Most of you on here seem to not understand that buying a mattress isn’t about just picking out a mattress and making it work after you bought it. I will elaborate on this, when you go to a place such as Sleepys and or Mattress Firm or any other retailer they have higher end (better quality for better sleep) and lower quality for each budget.
–Each bed now has multiple layers for body support and comfort levels. They have done extensive testing and multiple test for people ( live people not computers ) on these beds for what the general customer wants, not what they think is needed!

3rd – Health – this may come as a shock to a lot of you, but as your body ages, your sleeping patterns and needs will changes about every 10 years which is when they say to replace a mattress any ways. If you constantly sleep on the same mattress over the course of 12+ years your body gets put out of wack and you start to become slee deprived! Yes sleep deprived! This isn’t something that the guy told me when I bought my mattress! This is a medical condition! Have you ever given thought to why you need so much coffee or feel tired throughout your day? Part of the reason more than 40% is due to what your sleeping on! Shocker I know! I didn’t have any idea! Half of the population is so hell bent on saving a few extra dollars that they skimp or don’t get a new mattress when it’s time! It’s killing us and depriving us from our good night of sleep! Laugh all you want but with my new mattress I bought at Mattress Firm it’s given me much better sleep, because I followed the process and went with what was best for my body, and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier with my choice!

I’m a real consumer that has the same feelings as the rest of you! There are times we need to stop bashing these companies for their prices and tactics! They have to make a living to! Just like the rest of us! They have families and households to support! If we stopped always looking for the cheapest thing or getting bent out of shape for having to shell out money for a good night of sleep on a high end bed then we’re the problem not them! Yes warranties and issues with problems do happen, it doesn’t mean they won’t help you or take care of you! We all do it in our businessness that we work in 🙂

Pls do not buy mattress from family discount furniture.
If you must buy, ensure you pick up yourself or there when they are packing it for delivery to avoid them given you what you did not pay for.
Their mattress sags in the middle
It taut
Avoid buying from them

Unbelievable! My husband and I dealt with Sleepys years ago and were bombarded with phone call after phone call. There were two calls before we even arrived home the same day!
Definitely worse than car shopping.

Buy your mattress through Costo. As long as the mattress is within the manufacturer’s warranty period (ex., Sealy 10 yr), Costco will take it back and give you a FULL refund. You don’t have to pay for return pick up. They also use a third party company called Global Resources that handle Sealy purchases from Costco. I kid you not, Global Resources is the nicest and most helpful customer service office I have EVER dealt with. The only glitch was that Sealy took forever to let Costco know that they received the mattresses. I called Costco customer service (warning: loooong hold time – be patient). They went ahead and started the refund even though they had not heard back from Sealy. Wow! This doesn’t happen anywhere else. Btw, mattresses are NOT made like they used to be and they cost a great deal more. I bought new ones from Art Van a few weeks during a sale. They are not that great, but Art Van does not take back mattresses at all once the plastic is removed. I already regret the purchase (salesman and manager were very nice, though). Will just have to live with it. Should’ve stuck with Costco.

Just to clarify my comment above, in case anyone was wondering, I did not return the mattresses because I got tired of them. They were pretty bad from the get go, but a year later they were horrible and we just couldn’t take it anymore. My daughter developed chronic back and shoulder pain. The mattresses had to go. The Sealy ones from Art Van are only somewhat better. And Art Van makes you deal directly with Sealy if you want to return. I agree with someone else’s comment about mattress companies creating exclusive lines for each mattress store. Art Van offers price matching, but that’s impossible if the line is only sold at their stores. Also, they not only don’t list anything specific about their mattresses other than the flowery description, the sales people and manager are unable to directly answer any questions about materials, construction, spring count, etc. They tell you to go to the Sealy website, which, unfortunately, also does not list the info. Some of the Sealy mattresses at Art Van are not even mentioned on Sealy’s site. So, basically some stores just expect you to trust them and buy it. And we do. 🙁

Hi,
I am the owner of Don’s Mattress Service in Massachusetts. Just to give you some background and a little knowledge, this is a family business that started with my great grandfather in 1919 on Portland street in Boston. From then until the 1970’s we were the second largest manufacture of mattresses in the area. In the 80’s the big companies started mass producing foam, memory foam and latex mattresses. As time has gone on a lot of these companies have even removed the spring from there mattresses and produce a lot of what you see today, a one sided mattress that is just chunks of some type of foam. Really a mattress that you can’t even turn over. Just another way for these companies to save money. Unfortunately this has become the standard that we have seen for many years now and unless you are over 35 years of age you probably don’t know of a better product.
So in that time my family has continued to manufacture a two-sided tufted inner spring mattress with cotton. The same way my great grandfather made them. Also our box springs are a real box spring with a spring in them covered in cotton the same way are mattresses are and covered with the same cotton material our mattresses are covered with. Best of all we stand behind our product and give our customers a 15 year unconditional warranty on our mattress and box springs. We are happy to give our customers a product that is affordable and that will last 20+ years.
Hope to hear from you,
Gabe Donadio
781 367 2692http://www.donsmattress.comsales@donsmattress.com

If you want to know the reason that retail products and online products have different specs, look in the mirror. You went to brick-and-mortar stores for the privilege of actually trying out the product(s), then tried to order it online to save a few bucks. Shame on you. That’s the reason they have to make it difficult to compare product lines, otherwise all retail stores would cease to exist. If you ever try to run an actual business, you will find that in ANY business, the question is not about the percentage of markup, but how much actual profit is left at the end of the year. Retail stores have to pay much more for rent, utilities, employees, insurance, taxes, etc., etc., out of their “extreme markup’… online warehouses do not. So online mattress outlets may have a lower sales price, but actually make more profit at the end of the year. I personally do the opposite of what you did, I do my comparison shopping online, then call around locally to see who sells what I am looking for, then try it out in person. I expect to pay a bit more for the privilege of seeing the product first hand, and dealing with someone who has first hand experience. Again, shame on you.

We purchased a refrigerator. Within a couple months, and after the Repair Man came, it was replaced BY THE SAME MAKE AND #. It has worked well since — 10+ years.
We purchased a stove. Within a couple months, the Repair Man came, and adjusted the “computer.” It has worked well since — 8+ years.
We purchased a Washer and Dryer. We have had NO problems.
Regarding the above, there was NO DELIVERY COSTS … NO TAKE AWAY COSTS … NO REPLACEMENT COSTS.
Why, in the MATTRESS INDUSTRY are there Delivery, Take Away, Replacement costs? And, why, in the MATTRESS INDUSTRY is the consumer responsible for any and all defects, or reasons for Replacements?